Combined number plate and letter chute



Dec. 11,1923. 7 1,477,074-

. J. L; PECK COMBINED NUMBER PLATE AND LETTER GHUTE Fiied April 30. 1925 Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES- JESSE L. PECK, OF ,PITTSTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED NUMBER PLATE AND LETTER CITUTE.

Application filed April 30, 1923. Ser1'a1 No.'635,798.

To all whom 2'15 may concern:

Be it known that I, Jesse L. Pack, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittston, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Number Plates and Letter Chutes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a combined number plate and letter chute and it has for its object to provide a structure of the character indicated so arranged, that interchangeable letters may be mounted directly upon and be carried by the pivoted spring actuated element constituting the closure of the letter chute.

The average householder is very indiffen ent as to the proper numbering of his dwelling. Because he knows where he lives and his immediate associates know where he lives, he assumes that everyone else will be able to locate him without difficulty and he will not go to the trouble of seeing that his house is properly numbered. The result is that messenger boys, including those charged with the delivery of telegrams, spe' cial delivery letters and other important matter are subjected to constant delay and annoyance and in numberless instances are forced to return to their offices wit-h the messages undelivered. The same is true with respect to the postmen. A new postman finds the greatest difiiculty in locating persons on his route due to faulty numbering of the houses. The Post Oflice Department of the United States has recently issued an order which provides that letters will not be delivered to houses that arenot properly provided with receptacles for letters. This will compel all householders to secure and install letter chute plates or letter boxes and it is the purpose of the present invention to utilize this widespread installation of such devices to bring about a proper numbering of the houses. To make it possible to provide these devices at a small cost, I utilize the usual sheet metal hinged closure of a letter slot as a carrier for interchangeable number plates so that any householder will be readily able to secure the proper numbers to make up the number of his residence and to easily and quickly install them in stamped out portions of the said sheet metal pivoted closure.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view upon I line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4: is a perspective view of plate hereinafter described.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, 5 designates the material of a door or other portion of a dwelling to which the letter chute is to be applied. This door is provided, as usual, with an opening 6, which opening is closed by the device of the present invention. This device comprises a frame plate 7 adapted to be secured by screws or like vfastening de vices 8 to the material of a door. This plate is provided with an elongated slot or opening 9 of usual formation through which letters and like mail matter may be passed when a sheet metal door 10 is pressed-inwardly against the tension of a spring 11.

a number This spring normally keeps the door closed or in the position illustrated in F ig. 3. This door is hinged along itslower edge, as indicated at 12, and the spring 11 encircles: the pintle 13 of the hinge, one end of said spring, viz: that indicated at 11 bearing against the rear face of the said door and the other end of the spring being engaged in a slotted portion of the door 5, as indicated at 11 Inclined ledges 14 constituting integral parts of the material of the door are left at opposite ends of the opening 6, these ledges constituting stops to limit inward swinging movement'of the door 10. Thus while the door may be opened enough to slip letters and other mail matter over the up per rear edge of the door, it may not be opened far enough for dishonest persons to insert wires or other devices for the purpose of fishing out through the opening 6 the letters or other mail matter previously deposited V The door 10 comprises a main plate 15, the lower edge of which is bent forwardly and upwardly, as indicated at 16, to leave a slot 17 along the lower edge of said door. The material of the door is further bent upon itself, as indicated at 18, to constitute a channel 19 for the reception of the hooked upper ends 20 of number plates 21, the lower. edges of these number plates are received in the slot 17. The channels 17 and 19 extend to the end of the h nged door so that the number plates may be slipped in from the ends of these channels and these number plates are frictionally held in place by the spring action of the down-turned upper edges 20. These portions 20 are designedly left at a slight angle to the body prtions 21 in the manufacture of such plate so that it is necessary to spring these parts slightly in slipping them into the channel 19. lVhen released they tendto spring back to their former position and thus frictionally bind the number plates in place in the channel. By making these number plates with a dark back-ground such, as by painting them blue, for example, and making the letters, indicated at 21, white, the number of the house will be visible at considerable distance and even at night. However, it is to be understood that the invention contemplates using the so-called .radium or radio-lite material for making these numbers and which will render the numbers luminous in the dark. I v

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth but that it includes within its puriew whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is: i

1. A device of the character described comprising a slotted element constituting a letter chute, a door hingedly connected thereto along its lower edge, said door being lower edges engaged in the lower of said slots and having downturned hooked portions at their upper ends adapted to engage the upper of said slots.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1 wherein said downturned upper edges are of spring formation and frictionally engaged with the walls of the upper slot.

3. A device of the character described comprising a slotted opening constituting a letter chute, a door hingedly connected to said letter chute along its lower edge, said door having its lower portion bent forwardly and upwardly to constitute a slot and the material of said door being bent upon itself intermediate its upper and lower edges to constitute a slot of inverted L shape, a plurality of interchangeable number plates having downwardly and inwardly directed edges, the lower edges of said number plates being engageable in the lower of said slots and said downwardly directed upper edges being engaged in said L shaped slot.

4. A structure as recited in claim 3 wherein said downwardly and inwardly directed upper edges of the number plates lie at an angle with respect to the remainder of said plates to cause them to frictionally engage with the material of the door when they are flexed and sprung into said upper slots.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

JESSE L. PECK. 

